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BibleStudyIt Luke 13

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Stop doing wrong things or die

13 At that time, some people were with Jesus. They told him what happened to some people from Galilee. They had been burning animals as a gift for God. Pilate sent some soldiers to kill them. [ a ]

2 Jesus replied, ‘Think about those people from Galilee. Perhaps you think that they had done more bad things than other people from Galilee. Do you think that is why they had to die? 3 No! But I tell you this. All of you have done many bad things. So you must change how you live and you must turn to God. If you do not, you will also die as they did.

4 And you remember what happened to those 18 people in Siloam. A high building fell down and it killed them. Perhaps you think that they had done more bad things than the other people in Jerusalem. 5 But I tell you, no, they had not. All of you have also done many bad things. So you must change how you live and you must turn to God. If you do not, you will also die as they did.’

A story about a fig tree

6 Then Jesus told this story. ‘A man had a garden where he grew fruit. He had planted a fig tree there. But when he came to look for fruit on it, he could not find any. 7 So he said to his gardener, “Look, for three years, I have come to look for fruit on this tree. But I have never found any. So cut the tree down! I do not think that it should be here. It is wasting the ground.”

8 “Master,” the gardener replied, “please leave the tree in the ground for one more year. Let me dig round it and let me put some good soil there. [ b ] 9 If I do that, next year, the fig tree may have some fruit on it. If it does not, I will cut it down for you.” ’ [ c ]

Jesus makes a sick woman well again

10 One day, Jesus was teaching in a Jewish meeting place. It was the Jewish day of rest.

11 There was a woman there that had a bad spirit inside her. It had lived in her for 18 years and it had made her ill. Her back was bent. She could not stand up straight. 12 Jesus saw her and he called her to come to him. He said, ‘Woman, you are now better from your illness.’ 13 He put his hands on her and immediately she could stand up straight. She praised God.

14 But the leader of the meeting place was angry because Jesus had made a sick person well on their day of rest. He said to the people there, ‘There are six days each week when we should work. Come on any of those days and get well. But you should not come on our day of rest to get well.’

15 ‘You are wrong,’ the Lord Jesus said to him. ‘You teach one thing but you do something different yourselves. On the day of rest you will undo the rope on your ox or your donkey and take it outside. You then give it water to drink. Is that not true? [ d ] 16 Now look at this woman. She belongs to the family of Abraham. But a bad spirit from the Devil has made her ill for 18 years. It is like he has tied her up. So it must be right to make her free on our day of rest.’

17 These words made the leaders of the meeting place feel ashamed. But the other people there were very happy. They were happy because they had seen Jesus do many good and powerful things.

Jesus tells stories about seeds and yeast

18 Then Jesus said to them, ‘I will tell you a story about the kingdom of God and what it is like. 19 It is like a very small seed of the plant called mustard. A man took this seed and he planted it in his garden. The seed grew and it became a tree. It was so big that birds came and made their nests among its branches.’

20 Jesus then said, ‘Here is another example of what the kingdom of God is like. 21 It is like how yeast works. A woman took some of it and she mixed it into three large bowls of flour. Then the yeast went through all the flour so that it grew big.’

A story about a narrow door

22 Jesus was continuing his journey towards Jerusalem. On the way, he went through towns and villages. In each one, he taught the people. 23 One day, somebody asked him, ‘Sir, will God only save a small number of people?’

24 Jesus said to the people there, ‘Do your best to go in through the narrow door. I tell you that many people will want to get in there. But they will not be able to go through it. 25 Soon the master of the house will get up and he will shut the door. And then you may still be standing outside the door. You will knock and you will say, “Master, please open the door for us to come in.”

But the master will reply, “I do not know you. I do not know where you come from.” 26 Then you will begin to say, “But Master, we had meals with you. You taught us in the streets of our villages.”

27 But he will tell you, “No! I really do not know you. I do not know where you come from. You have done very bad things, so go away from me, all of you!”

28 Then you will weep very much because you are standing outside. You will bite your teeth together. [ e ] You will see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the place where God rules. You will also see all God's prophets there. But God will shut you outside. 29 At that time, people will come from everywhere in the world, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south. They will all come to take their place in the kingdom of God. There they will sit down together to eat a great meal. 30 Listen! At that time, some people that are not important now will become the most important. And some people that are now the most important will not be important then.’

31 At that moment, some Pharisees came to Jesus. ‘Go away from here,’ they said to him. ‘Go somewhere else, because Herod wants to kill you.’

32 ‘Herod is a bad man,’ Jesus replied. ‘Tell him this: “I am still causing bad spirits to come out of people. I am still making sick people well again. I will continue to do all these things for some more days. On the third day I will have finished my work.” 33 Anyway, I need to continue my journey for some more days. If they want to kill a prophet from God, it has to happen in Jerusalem.

34 Jerusalem, Jerusalem! Your people have killed God's prophets. And they have thrown stones to kill other people that God has sent to you. Many times, I have wanted to bring all of your people near to me. A female bird covers her babies with her body to make them safe. But you would not let me keep you from danger like that. 35 So listen! Your place will now become like a wilderness where nobody lives. [ f ] I tell you this. You will not see me again until the day when you say, “May the Lord God bless the man who comes with his authority!” ’

Footnotes

  1. 13:1 Pilate was the leader of the Roman government in Jerusalem.
  2. 13:8 This would make the ground good to grow things.
  3. 13:9 The people are like a tree that has no fruit. But God wants them to believe. And he wants them to obey Jesus. If they do that, they will be like a tree with fruit. If they refuse to believe in Jesus, they will die.
  4. 13:15 Because an ox is very strong, people use it to work for them. It can pull many things in a cart. People also use donkeys to carry heavy things. They tie them up at night in a special place.
  5. 13:28 Biting their teeth together may have shown that they were angry. Or it may have shown they were in much pain.
  6. 13:35 God will leave his house in Jerusalem. He will let the enemies of God's people kill very many people in Jerusalem. This happened 40 years later when an enemy attacked Jerusalem.

Change Your Hearts

13 Some people there with Jesus at that time told him about what had happened to some worshipers from Galilee. Pilate had them killed. Their blood was mixed with the blood of the animals they had brought for sacrificing. 2 Jesus answered, “Do you think this happened to those people because they were more sinful than all other people from Galilee? 3 No, they were not. But if you don’t decide now to change your lives, you will all be destroyed like those people! 4 And what about those 18 people who died when the tower of Siloam fell on them? Do you think they were more sinful than everyone else in Jerusalem? 5 They were not. But I tell you if you don’t decide now to change your lives, you will all be destroyed too!”

The Useless Tree

6 Jesus told this story: “A man had a fig tree. He planted it in his garden. He came looking for some fruit on it, but he found none. 7 He had a servant who took care of his garden. So he said to his servant, ‘I have been looking for fruit on this tree for three years, but I never find any. Cut it down! Why should it waste the ground?’ 8 But the servant answered, ‘Master, let the tree have one more year to produce fruit. Let me dig up the dirt around it and fertilize it. 9 Maybe the tree will have fruit on it next year. If it still does not produce, then you can cut it down.’”

Jesus Heals a Woman on the Sabbath

10 Jesus taught in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath day. 11 A woman was there who had an evil spirit inside her. It had made the woman crippled for 18 years. Her back was always bent; she could not stand up straight. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called to her, “Woman, you have been made free from your sickness!” 13 He laid his hands on her, and immediately she was able to stand up straight. She began praising God.

14 The synagogue leader was angry because Jesus healed on the Sabbath day. He said to the people, “There are six days for work. So come to be healed on one of those days. Don’t come for healing on the Sabbath day.”

15 The Lord answered, “You people are hypocrites! All of you untie your work animals and lead them to drink water every day—even on the Sabbath day. 16 This woman that I healed is a true descendant of Abraham. [ a ] But Satan has held her for 18 years. Surely it is not wrong for her to be made free from her sickness on a Sabbath day!” 17 When Jesus said this, all those who were criticizing him felt ashamed of themselves. And all the people were happy for the wonderful things he was doing.

What Is God’s Kingdom Like? ( A )

18 Then Jesus said, “What is God’s kingdom like? What can I compare it to? 19 God’s kingdom is like the seed of the mustard plant. Someone plants this seed in their garden. The seed grows and becomes a tree, and the birds build nests on its branches.”

20 Jesus said again, “What can I compare God’s kingdom with? 21 It is like yeast that a woman mixes into a big bowl of flour to make bread. The yeast makes all the dough rise.”

The Narrow Door ( B )

22 Jesus was teaching in every town and village. He continued to travel toward Jerusalem. 23 Someone said to him, “Lord, how many people will be saved? Only a few?”

Jesus said, 24 “The door to heaven is narrow. Try hard to enter it. Many people will want to enter there, but they will not be able to go in. 25 If a man locks the door of his house, you can stand outside and knock on the door, but he won’t open it. You can say, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’ But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you. Where did you come from?’ 26 Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you. You taught in the streets of our town.’ 27 Then he will say to you, ‘I don’t know you. Where did you come from? Get away from me! You are all people who do wrong!’

28 “You will see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in God’s kingdom. But you will be left outside. There you will cry and grind your teeth with pain. 29 People will come from the east, west, north, and south. They will sit down at the table in God’s kingdom. 30 People who have the lowest place in life now will have the highest place in God’s kingdom. And people who have the highest place now will have the lowest place in God’s kingdom.”

Jesus Will Die in Jerusalem ( C )

31 Just then some Pharisees came to Jesus and said, “Go away from here and hide. Herod wants to kill you!”

32 Jesus said to them, “Go tell that fox, [ b ] ‘Today and tomorrow I am forcing demons out of people and finishing my work of healing. Then, the next day, the work will be finished.’ 33 After that I must go, because all prophets should die in Jerusalem.

34 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem! You kill the prophets. You stone to death the people God has sent to you. How many times I wanted to help your people. I wanted to gather them together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings. But you did not let me. 35 Now your home will be left completely empty. I tell you, you will not see me again until that time when you will say, ‘Welcome! God bless the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’ [ c ]

Footnotes

  1. Luke 13:16 true descendant of Abraham Literally, “daughter of Abraham.”
  2. Luke 13:32 fox Jesus means that Herod is clever and sly like a fox.
  3. Luke 13:35 Quote from Ps. 118:26 .

13 There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.

2 And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things?

3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

4 Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?

5 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

6 He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none.

7 Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?

8 And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it:

9 And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.

10 And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath.

11 And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself.

12 And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity.

13 And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.

14 And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the sabbath day, and said unto the people, There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the sabbath day.

15 The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering?

16 And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?

17 And when he had said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed: and all the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him.

18 Then said he, Unto what is the kingdom of God like? and whereunto shall I resemble it?

19 It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his garden; and it grew, and waxed a great tree; and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it.

20 And again he said, Whereunto shall I liken the kingdom of God?

21 It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.

22 And he went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem.

23 Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them,

24 Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.

25 When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are:

26 Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets.

27 But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.

28 There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.

29 And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God.

30 And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last.

31 The same day there came certain of the Pharisees, saying unto him, Get thee out, and depart hence: for Herod will kill thee.

32 And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.

33 Nevertheless I must walk to day, and to morrow, and the day following: for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem.

34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!

35 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

Call to Repent

13 Now on that very occasion there were some present who reported to Him about the Galileans whose blood ( A ) Pilate had [ a ] mixed with their sacrifices. 2 And Jesus responded and said to them, ( B ) Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans just because they have suffered this fate ? 3 No, I tell you, but unless you [ b ] repent, you will all likewise perish. 4 Or do you think that those eighteen on whom the tower in ( C ) Siloam fell and killed them were worse [ c ] ( D ) offenders than all the other people who live in Jerusalem? 5 No, I tell you, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”

6 And He began telling this parable: “A man had ( E ) a fig tree which had been planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and did not find any . 7 And he said to the vineyard-keeper, ‘Look! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree [ d ] without finding any. ( F ) Cut it down! Why does it even use up the ground?’ 8 But he answered and said to him, ‘Sir, leave it alone for this year too, until I dig around it and put in fertilizer; 9 and if it bears fruit next year, fine ; but if not, cut it down.’”

Healing on the Sabbath

10 Now Jesus was ( G ) teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. 11 And [ e ] there was a woman who for eighteen years had had ( H ) a [ f ] sickness caused by a spirit; and she was bent over double, and could not straighten up at all. 12 When Jesus saw her, He called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your sickness.” 13 And He ( I ) laid His hands on her; and immediately she stood up straight again, and began ( J ) glorifying God. 14 But ( K ) the synagogue leader, indignant because Jesus ( L ) had healed on the Sabbath, began saying to the crowd in response, “ ( M ) There are six days during which work should be done; so come during them and get healed, and not on the Sabbath day.” 15 But ( N ) the Lord answered him and said, “You hypocrites, ( O ) does each of you on the Sabbath not untie his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it away to water it ? 16 And this woman, ( P ) a daughter of Abraham as she is, whom ( Q ) Satan has bound for [ g ] eighteen long years, should she not have been released from this restraint on the Sabbath day?” 17 And as He said this, all His opponents were being [ h ] humiliated; and ( R ) the entire crowd was rejoicing over all the glorious things being done by Him.

Parables of Mustard Seed and Leaven

18 So ( S ) He was saying, ( T ) What is the kingdom of God like, and to what shall I compare it? 19 It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and threw into his own garden; and it grew and became a tree, and ( U ) the birds of the sky nested in its branches.”

20 And again He said, ( V ) To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? 21 ( W ) It is like [ i ] leaven, which a woman took and hid in ( X ) three [ j ] sata of flour until it was all leavened.”

Teaching in the Villages

22 And He was passing through one city and village after another, teaching, and ( Y ) proceeding on His way to Jerusalem. 23 And someone said to Him, “Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?” And He said to them, 24 ( Z ) Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. 25 Once the head of the house gets up and ( AA ) shuts the door, and you begin standing outside and knocking on the door, saying, ‘ ( AB ) Lord, open up to us!’ and He then will answer and say to you, ‘ ( AC ) I do not know where you are from.’ 26 Then you will ( AD ) begin saying, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets!’ 27 And yet He will [ k ] say, ‘ ( AE ) I do not know where you are from; ( AF ) leave Me, all you [ l ] evildoers .’ 28 ( AG ) In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being thrown out. 29 And they ( AH ) will come from east and west, and from north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God. 30 And behold, ( AI ) some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”

31 At that very time some Pharisees approached, saying to Him, “Go away and leave this place, because ( AJ ) Herod wants to kill You.” 32 And He said to them, “Go and tell that [ m ] fox, ‘Behold, I am casting out demons and performing healings today and tomorrow, and on the third day I [ n ] ( AK ) reach My goal.’ 33 Nevertheless ( AL ) I must go on My journey today and tomorrow and the next day ; for it cannot be that a ( AM ) prophet would perish outside Jerusalem. 34 ( AN ) Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who have been sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, ( AO ) just as a hen gathers her [ o ] young under her wings, and you were unwilling! 35 Behold, your house is left to you desolate ; and I say to you, you will not see Me until you say, ‘ ( AP ) Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord !’”

Footnotes

  1. Luke 13:1 I.e., shed along with
  2. Luke 13:3 Or are repentant
  3. Luke 13:4 Lit debtors
  4. Luke 13:7 Lit and I do not find
  5. Luke 13:11 Lit behold, a woman
  6. Luke 13:11 Lit spirit of sickness
  7. Luke 13:16 Lit behold, eighteen years
  8. Luke 13:17 Or put to shame
  9. Luke 13:21 I.e., fermented dough
  10. Luke 13:21 A Gr term for a Heb measure, totaling about 48 lb. or 22 kg of flour
  11. Luke 13:27 Lit say, telling you
  12. Luke 13:27 Or workers of injustice
  13. Luke 13:32 I.e., crafty, devious person
  14. Luke 13:32 Or am perfected
  15. Luke 13:34 Lit brood

Repent or Perish

13 Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate ( A ) had mixed with their sacrifices. 2 Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? ( B ) 3 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. 4 Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam ( C ) fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, ( D ) you too will all perish.”

6 Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. ( E ) 7 So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! ( F ) Why should it use up the soil?’

8 “‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’”

Jesus Heals a Crippled Woman on the Sabbath

10 On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, ( G ) 11 and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. ( H ) She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” 13 Then he put his hands on her, ( I ) and immediately she straightened up and praised God.

14 Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, ( J ) the synagogue leader ( K ) said to the people, “There are six days for work. ( L ) So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.”

15 The Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie your ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water? ( M ) 16 Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, ( N ) whom Satan ( O ) has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?”

17 When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, ( P ) but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing.

The Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast ( Q ) ( R )

18 Then Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of God ( S ) like? ( T ) What shall I compare it to? 19 It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, ( U ) and the birds perched in its branches.” ( V )

20 Again he asked, “What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? 21 It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds [ a ] of flour until it worked all through the dough.” ( W )

The Narrow Door

22 Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. ( X ) 23 Someone asked him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?”

He said to them, 24 “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, ( Y ) because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 25 Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’

“But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’ ( Z )

26 “Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’

27 “But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!’ ( AA )

28 “There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, ( AB ) when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. 29 People will come from east and west ( AC ) and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. 30 Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last.” ( AD )

Jesus’ Sorrow for Jerusalem ( AE ) ( AF )

31 At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, “Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod ( AG ) wants to kill you.”

32 He replied, “Go tell that fox, ‘I will keep on driving out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.’ ( AH ) 33 In any case, I must press on today and tomorrow and the next day—for surely no prophet ( AI ) can die outside Jerusalem!

34 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, ( AJ ) and you were not willing. 35 Look, your house is left to you desolate. ( AK ) I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’ [ b ] ( AL )

Footnotes

  1. Luke 13:21 Or about 27 kilograms
  2. Luke 13:35 Psalm 118:26